Book-cover



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. THOMPSON. BOOK COVER Patented May 22, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

lV-ILLIAM THOMPSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BOOK-COVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,171, dated May 22, 1894. Application filed March 13, 1894. Serial No. 503,500. (No model.)

To alt whom, it may concern:-

l 3e it known that I, WILLIAM THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Book-Covers, of which the following 15 a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement for use on the class of reference-books having the thicker or stiffer variety of covers, such as ledgers and hotel-registers, and other books of private or public reference.

The object of my improvement is to render such covers extensible at their lateral edges by the act of opening them, to present to view in position of unobstructed observation while the book is open, the surfaces of the extensions provided with matter of reference or advertisement, or affording a medium for jottin g down memoranda or calculations; the construction further efiecting, by the closing of the covers, withdrawal of the extensions, whereby the book, in its closed condition, presents no abnormal appearance as to its dimensions.

To this end my invention consists, in its broadest sense, in a book-cover provided with an extensible slide-plate for one or each of its lateral edges, protruded, by opening the cover or book, to extend beyond the lateral edge or edges thereof and of the leaves and afford display-surface for menioranda or other matter of reference, advertisements, calculations, or the like; and it also consists in the general, as well as in the more specific, construction of the mechanism embodying my invention and llustrated in the accompanying draw- 1ngs,1n which- Figure 1 shows a book in opened condition provided with my improvement, aportion of the cover at one side being broken away the better to display the extensible slide-plate actuating mechanism, that for the slide-plate on the opposite half of the cover being indicated by a representation mainly dotted.

Fig. 2 shows the book in closed condition with the extensible slide-plate actuating mechanism indicated by a mainly dotted-line representation. Fig. 3 is an end view of the book opened; Fig. 4:, a similar view of the same closed; and Fig. 5 is a section taken at the line 5-5 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

A is a book of any variety adapting it for reference purposes, thus a ledger or other account or memorandum book, a directory, a hotel-register, or the like, and it is provided with a cover B (represented as permanent, though it need not be) adequately thick and stiff for my purpose. Each of the lateraledge portions of the cover is loosely embraced or surrounded from the top to the bottom of the book, by an extensible and withdrawable slide-plate 0 formed preferably of a piece of flat sheet-metal lying against the inner face of the cover and of a width adapting it to be protruded to any desired extent beyond the lateral edge thereof and bent to overlap loosely the latter and also the upper and lower edges of the cover, as shown at w, w and m in Fig. 2. If desired, the material of the slide-plate may be extended to the same or a different width over the outer side of the cover, thereby afiording a display-surface on the outside of the cover observable when the book is closed and which might be used for directory-purposes with peculiar advantage on a hotel-register; but this would be merely incidental to my invention of extending the cover beyond the edges of the book when opened, and as it forms a modification quite obvious, no further reference is made to it herein and it requires no illustra tion in the drawings. At the center of each slide-plate there extends, inward from it, a tongue 1 carrying a stud r reciprocably con fined in a slotted plate D let into the inner side of the adjacent flap of the cover, the slot 10 being at least coextensive in length with the extent of play to be afforded the slideplate 0. The stud r on the tongue rof each slide-plate is engaged by an elongated slot 0 in the end of a lever E fulcrumed between its ends at t to the innerside of the cover-flap and provided near its opposite end with an elongated slot 0' where it extends to an endedge of the cover and there carries a sleeven loosely surrounding a guide-bar m rigidly supported at its opposite extremities to extend parallel with the adjacent upper or lower edge of the cover.

F is a link pivotally connected at one end with the sleeve n and at its opposite end with a rigid bearingl on the corresponding edgeportion of the opposite cover-flap near the back G of the book.

The operation is as follows: WVhen the book is opened by turning back either flap of the coverB,it causes the linksF to draw the sleeves n inward, or toward the back G, and with them the adjacent ends of the levers E, whereby the opposite ends of thelatter are turned outward and force the slide-plate G, at their tongues D, correspondingly to cause them to protrude beyond the lateral edges of the cover,where they present in the best position for convenient and unobstructed observation their display-surfaces provided with the advertising or other reference matter. By closing the book, the links F. are caused to force the sleeves n in the outward direction and the inner ends of the levers E thus inward, whereby the slid e-plates are withdrawn, leaving the book when closed with a normal appearance, which may be rendered highly attractive by the polished or ornamental exposed surfaces of the plates 0, which, in the form illustrated they appear like metal binding for the edges of the cover; and in order that they shall not come into contact with, and tend to abrade, the surface of a desk or other support for the book, smooth knobs 7a, which may be of polished metal, are provided, as shown, .on the cover, to afford bearing-points for the book.

The mechanism set forth as embodying my vention, while the best known to me for the purpose, may, no doubt, be variously changed and still efitect my purpose of protruding and withdrawing the cover-extending slide-plates by opening and closing the book. Hence I wish it to be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular means shown and described. Moreover, while it is obviously preferable to have each lateral edgeportion 01' the cover provided with an extensible slide-plate C, it is within the spirt of my invention to employ the same at only one edge.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A book-cover provided on its lateral-edge portion with an extensible slide-plate actuated by opening the cover to protrude beyond the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A book-cover provided on its lateral edgeportions with extensible slide plates and means actuated by opening and closing the cover, respectively, to protrude the slide-plates beyond the lateral cover-edges and withdraw them, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A book-cover provided onits lateral edgeportions with extensible slide-plates and le ver-mechanism on the inner sides of the cover connecting the slide-plates therewith respectively at opposite sides of the back, whereby opening the cover protrudes the slide-plates and closing it withdraws them, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with a book-cover, an extensible slide-plate G on its lateral-edge portion, a lever E fulcrumed between its ext remities to extend on the inner side of the cover and engaging at one end the slide-plate, a

guide m on the cover reciprocably engaged by the opposite end of the lever, and a link F connecting said lever with the cover at the opposite side of the back thereof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5.'In combination with a book-cover, extensible slide-plates O on its lateral-edge portions, and having tongues r reciproeably engaging guide-slots p in the inner sides of the cover, levers E fulcrumed between their extremities to engage, at one end, said tongues and extending at their opposite ends, respectively, to the upper and lower edge-portions of the cover and there provided with sleeves n, guide-bars 'm reciprocably engaged by said sleeves, and links F connecting the sleeveends of the levers with the cover across the back G, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

W'ILLIAM THOMPSON.

In presence ofv M. J. Fnosr,

W. N. WILLIAMS. 

